‘Taken: Natalee Holloway’: All About New Netflix Docuseries

It’s been more than 20 years since Natalee Holloway went missing on a high school trip to Aruba, and her story will be shared in the new Netflix docuseries Taken: Natalee Holloway.

“Growing up in the mid-2000s, it was impossible to turn on the TV or walk by a news tand without seeing Natalee Holloway’s face,” director Dani Sloane said. “But beyond the wall-to-wall coverage and sensational headlines is a story about the incredible courage, devotion, and strength that Natalee’s mother, Beth, showed in the face of unimaginable loss. For me, as a mother and filmmaker, Beth’s steadfastness and dedication to her daughter is nothing short of inspiring, and I’m so proud to be able to share her story.”

Scroll down for everything we know about the docuseries and what happened to Natalee.

When does Taken: Natalee Holloway premiere?

All three episodes of Taken: Natalee Holloway will premiere on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, on Netflix.

Who will appear in Taken: Natalee Holloway?

The docuseries will feature Natalee’s mother, Beth Holloway, who will tell “the full, definitive story of the case that’s haunted her for the past 20 years — from the day of Natalee’s disappearance to a dramatic confession two decades later,” according to Tudum.

In addition to Beth, the case will be revisited “through the eyes of those closest to Natalee.” There will be “exclusive access” to investigators, as well.

Sloane and Matthew Galking directed the project, with Liz Garbus, Dan Cogan, Jon Bardin, Sloane, and Tommy Coriale serving as executive producers.

What happened to Natalee Holloway?

Natalee Holloway was 18 years old when she went missing on a trip to Aruba. She was last seen entering a car with Joran van der Sloot, Deepak Kalpoe, and Satish Kalpoe outside of Carlos’n Charlie’s on May 30, 2005.

Van der Sloot and the Kalpoe brothers were arrested on suspicion of kidnapping and murder, but by September 2005, they were released without charges. In a 2006 interview, Van der Sloot insisted that he left Natalee on the beach and went home on the night in question. He and the Kalpoes were arrested again in November 2007, but released without charges the following month.

In 2010, Van der Sloot was arrested for the murder of Stephany Flores in Peru. He was also indicted on charges of wire fraud and extortion for allegedly demanding money from Natalee’s mother in exchange for information about the location of Natalee’s remains. (Beth’s attorney met with Van der Sloot in Aruba in 2010 but deemed the information he brought forward as “worthless.”)

Natalee was declared legally dead in January 2012, nearly seven years after she went missing. Her remains have never been found. The same month, Van der Sloot pleaded guilty to Flores’ murder and was sentenced to 28 years in prison.

Van der Sloot was extradited to the United States in 2023 and pleaded guilty to the extortion charges as part of a plea deal, in which he agreed to provide more information about what happened to Natalee. Van der Sloot told prosecutors that he took Natalee to the beach and they started kissing. When he tried to pursue her further, she denied his attempts and “[kneed him] in the crotch,” Van der Sloot claimed.

“I get up on the beach, and I kick her extremely hard in the face,” he said, per ABC News. “[She was] laying down unconscious, possibly even dead.” Van der Sloot told officials that he “smashed” Natalee’s head with a cinderblock and pushed her into the water. The judge accepted the plea deal, meaning Van der Sloot’s confession about Natalee would not be held against him, but noted that it confirmed he “brutally murdered” two young women (Natalee and Flores).

Van der Sloot’s prison sentence for the extortion runs concurrently with his sentence for Flores’ murder. He is set to remain behind bars until 2045.

Taken: Natalee Holloway, Wednesday, November 4, Netflix